Game Description: Resistance 3 is a full-featured adventure shooter based in a brutal alternative universe in which humanity is faced with a struggle for survival against a relentless alien race in a decimated America.

Resistance 3 Review

Whimsical weapons combine seamlessly with the violent and brutal setting to create an engaging game you can't wait to replay. The single player experience is enough to warrant the game an excellent score, and the multiplayer will likely satisfy the under-served PS3 online gamer.

The Pros

Signature Insomniac weapons make this shooter stand out.

The thirst for weapon upgrades makes the single player highly replayable.

In Resistance 3, you are an average Joe (Capelli), an ex-military man who is just trying keep his family and friends alive in a post-apocalyptic world. The large scale military battles of Resistance and Resistance 2 have been lost and the people have moved underground to eke out a living while Earth is colonized by the victors. Life is not destined to be quiet for Joe, and you are cajoled into a hail-mary suicide mission to the heart of the Chimera stronghold. Think The Road meets Halo.

It was a dark and stormy night at the end of the world...

Resistance 3 has a perfectly serviceable and impressively cohesive plot. I always knew exactly what I was doing and why, and when I finished I could give you an accurate account of what happened. I suppose it’s a little sad that I am lauding the plot for being comprehensible, but we’ve all played shooters where you wonder why you are suddenly in a laboratory, and the only reason you can think of is that the designer thought a laboratory would make a bitchin’ location for a level. The Resistance series itself has not been innocent of this sin, though it is perhaps not as guilty as some others.

However good the plot, better characters would have elevated the story from adequate to great. The aesthetic design was good, but their personalities were all fairly bland. I also want to add a small nitpick. Everyone at the end of the world is white? Really? Everyone? Maybe the Chimera killed all the Mexicans.

You have a weapon wheel that makes choosing from your arsenal fast and easy. Each weapon has a primary fire and a secondary fire. For example, the Bullseye’s primary fire seems like a normal machine gun, but its alt fire embeds a beacon into your target. Tag your enemy’s week spot with your alt fire, then hide behind cover, point up and shoot. The bullets find their foe like magic. Then there is the Atomizer. Its primary fire creates a short range electrical shock perfect for crowd control, while its alt fire launches a temporary gravity well that traps anyone in the vicinity. There are of course lots more weapons to collect, including a beam that freezes enemies in place and a disease gun that turns baddies into contagious germ bombs.

Insomniac knows you want to play with your deadly toys, so they don’t limit your ammo too much. I hate it when someone gives you an awesome gun and then never let you use it because it’s overpowered. That being said, despite having a gun that shoots through walls, the single player is well balanced. They throw plenty of enemies your way and have a difficulty level for any type of fan. And don’t forget, your enemies can shoot through walls too. This has a way of evening up the score.

OMG I CAN HAZ RATCHET!!1!!!!

Any fans of Ratchet & Clank in the house? You will be extremely happy with Resistance 3. Despite the realistic setting and violent world, the weapons and gameplay will often remind you of Ratchet. The Mutator sometimes feels a bit like the Black Sheepinator. The alt fire on the Atomizer is a satisfyingly realistic Rift Inducer 5000, and the Cryogun feels almost eerily like the Liquid Nitrogen Gun. Unfortunately neither the Groovatron nor Mr. Zurkon made it into Resistance 3. Maybe next time.

Also reminiscent of Ratchet is a classic mechanic that encourages players to experiment. You level up your weapons through use, and you have the potential to earn an extra 2 levels of goodies. I can’t tell you how many times I died because I refused to use the appropriate weapon for a particular task - dammit I was going to level up my sniper rifle, even if I was in quarters more appropriate for the Carbine. The upgrades are noticeable and drool-worthy. When you level your shotgun it starts to set enemies on fire. This is an awesome bonus and it 100% never gets old. Oh, you want to shoot me? I light you on fire! Oh, you try to kill me? Kaboom! You are fire!

You will not be able to level all your weapons in one play through, and you will want to upgrade them further. When I finished the game the first time, I immediately wanted to start again to continue upgrading. Fortunately you have the option to keep leveling your weapons in a second or co-op playthrough.

At least the end of the world has good bump mapping.

The graphics are as good as one would expect for a title of this caliber. It is also appreciated that despite the post-apocalyptic setting the designers were not afraid to use a bit of color. However the fast pace of the game means you aren’t given much time to revel in the art. There was one moment when I wanted to stare straight up and gaze (you’ll know when you get there), and while I was able to momentarily clear the area and enjoy the view, I quickly had to tear away my eyes for fear of losing them altogether. Apparently the Chimera don’t want me enjoying their breathtaking vista. This is all to say that the graphics and art are great, but the game is so fast paced you might not have time to stop and appreciate it. There is something to be respected about this - the art is in service of the gameplay. You’re not forced to admire the view they worked so hard on, but it rewards you if you look up. It’s the way it should be.

Good news for all you bulimics!

Want to become completely nauseous in 3 minutes or less? Just try to play Resistance 3 with Sony Move. Yup, it’s that bad. You use the move controller to look around, but you don’t really move the camera until your reticule gets to the edge of the screen, which creates a perceived delay between moving and looking - thus the immediate nausea. I stopped playing 15 minutes ago and I still have a headache. Good luck shooting anything by the way, it’s not happening with the move. When you are trying to aim you get the distinct impression that you are trying to get a shot off while riding a slow moving boat (whoopee more nausea!). The move is just not sensitive enough to offer a rewarding experience. And this leads me to my little tirade:

I don’t hate the Move. It is allowed to exist. Some people may like to play some games with it. I bet it’s a super fun way to play Fruit Ninja. Does that mean it needs to be crammed down the throat of every developer and every gamer? Can’t it just be good for some fun casual games? I will be happy to revisit the Move and other motion controllers when they make them sensitive enough to satisfy a core gamer, or design games specifically with the Move in mind. Until then, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

And while I am on a tirade, I don’t appreciate that every time I turn on Resistance 3, I get 3 warning screens about the Move, one about seizures, and one about 3D being horribly damaging to my eyes. It’s getting to be a little much people. I’m just going to play in 2D with the controller. It sounds much safer that way.

Thank you, that is all. End tirade.

My Internet is Down

Resistance 3 is unlucky enough to be a sacrificial lamb for Sony’s Online Pass program. You buy the game new, it comes with a one time use code that allows access to the game’s online features. You buy the game used? Someone has already redeemed that code and you have to pony up for a new one from the online store (because we love giving Sony our credit card information, right? They’ve been so responsible with it in the past).

Sony thinks this is going to keep used game sales to a minimum, or at least recover some of the revenue that is lost. I think it will just keep sales to a minimum. At the very least it will cause confusion and frustration among gamers, who think it is perfectly normal and acceptable to take a game to a friend’s house, or swap games with a friend for a weekend (and they are right). Sony is making the PS3’s already confusing and frustrating online system feel unnecessarily punitive, and they are doing Resistance 3 no favors. Even though I am tempted to lower the game’s score because of the Online Pass, Insomniac should not be penalized for Sony’s policy, especially since it seems they are aiming for a multi-platform future.

Plays Well with Others

The campaign is available for two player co-op in split-screen as well as online. Split screen co-op is as fun as you would expect, and flanking is always a good time, especially since popping the Chimeran heat stacks makes such a satisfying sound. You take a big resolution hit in split-screen but it is an adequate experience if that is your only option.

Online multi-player doesn’t have any revolutionary new ideas but it is a solid experience and compares favorably to most of your other PS3 options. 16 players compete in standard modes like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag. Additionally you have Breach, where one team attacks nodes while the other defends, and Chain Reaction, where both teams attempt to capture nodes. You can also create a private game of any type and customize every piece of the experience. However I anticipate that Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch will dominate the field.

You start your online career with only one (crappy) loadout, but you’ll soon be leveling up and unlocking more. Each loadout has room for a primary weapon, a grenade type, tactical and support abilities, as well as personal and combat attributes. Tactical and support abilities will be things like a deployable ammo-refilling beacon, a bubble shield, or an offensive turret. Personal and combat attributes are more passive abilities. My favorite allowed you to track the footprints of your fleeing foes, but others will allow you a faster rate of fire, allow you to scavenge ammo and health from dead bodies, or even to have leapers burst out of your corpse for a little post-mortem revenge.

You can also gain an advantage by achieving killstreaks. For example It’s just a few kills to a shield or a cloak, and a few more to an Auger. OK so killstreak rewards aren’t necessarily the newest idea in gaming, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.

As you level up you are awarded skill points that you can spend towards a custom loadout, so the dedicated player can truly create a force to be reckoned with.

The Unfortunate Truth

We all know the problems with Sony’s multiplayer - its never the seamless experience you will find on the Xbox 360 and Resistance multiplayer specifically has had issues in the past. Unfortunately due to the time restraints of this review, I have not had the option to play online with the rest of the world because the review had to be done before the game was officially out. I have played with small parties of other journalists and have seen what the game could be if Insomniac’s tech and Sony’s infrastructure work as promised. If you are an online-only gamer you should wait to see how the tech fares before you plunk down your cash.

Then again, if you are a hardcore multiplayer fan, are you really buying this game? Do you even have a PS3? Multiplayer is something every developer and publisher feels is necessary to prevent used game sales, but a shockingly small minority of people who buy the game actually go online. Who can blame them? The time it takes to get good at online multiplayer and level up is insane. This means most hard core online players cluster around a few titles, and the rest of us enjoy the escapism of the single player or co-op campaign. I would have gladly traded the Resistance 3 multiplayer for a 4 player co-op campaign, a longer campaign, or even more weapons. The multiplayer works, it’s enjoyable, and it has some fun extras, but I don’t see it stealing many fans away from Call of Duty or Gears of War.

A game that won’t lose its triple-a rating

Resistance 3 provides a cohesive and polished triple-a shooter experience. What is most exciting is that Insomniac has decided to be itself. It always felt like they were trying to compete with the big boys by copying them, and that is an unwinnable war. It was Insomniac’s answer to Halo or Call of Duty, rather than Insomniac’s take on the shooter. Resistance 3 is finally confident enough to be itself - and in that way it is something brutal, something whimsical, and ultimately, something special.

Comments are Closed

I have mixed feelings on this review... i went in and checked to see what was the last exclusive sony game to get a 5/5 and here it is (its the end of Feb).. For some reason i feel like they new right after this game was released that insomniac and sony would be splitting and they are just pumping them up with how great they are so when they make there 1st xbox exclusive adam and that dork kevin can throw a few jabs at sony and give xbox another pat on the back!!!

Love the comments...."PSN will never be the experience XBOX live is". Patented G4. You never talk about how the 360 is a dinosaur with no bluray or real 3D support, or is known for bricking out, or the lack of exclusives. Barf! Is this network owned by MS? Seems like it. Oh, the review is by Morgan, never mind. Morgan, you're brutal! Go play WoW and let Adam do all other reviews. Hard to take you seriously. No other site i've read reviews on had any problem with online MP, in fact, said it was excellent. I'm sorry Morgan, but you suck.

I dunno. I've been trying to slug it out in this game and I'm not excited about it at all. Reminds me too much of CoD. I'll keep plugging away but I think game informer hit the review on the head this time...

Alright pretty good review for once apparently we can still trust Morgans opinion, but the shots at sony are getting old real fast seriously this isn't the first time a network has been hacked. If your stupid enough to give out your credit card number over any internet connection then if you ask me you deserve to get hacked. Resistance three however does look awesome

I think this is an exceptional game, definitely the best of the series, and definitely earned 5/5. I find the Resistance games very entertaining. I am a 'fanboy' of neither system, and I think Morgan is getting unfair criticism, especially over the comments she made about online play.

I own both systems and have for a while. My rule of thumb is, if it has heavy multiplayer (COD, BF, etc) I get it on Xbox. XB Live IS much better than PS online (except for all the hacking that went on in MW2 - PS seemed immune to that). I love my PS3, but I buy games on PS3 (when they are multiplatform) that have little to no online content because, while the PS3 graphics are typically better and there seems to be fewer bugs, XB Live is far superior to PSN. Portal 2 and Dead Space 2 were much better graphically on PS than Xbox.

If PS's online experience was anywhere near as good as XB, I'd probably get most of my games on PS3. XB Live has a significantly larger number of players and a much smoother experience. Everyone knows that the 360 is about as unreliable (read, RROD)as a Frenchman facing down the German army, and that PS3 is (arguably) better graphically, but people STILL flock to XB Live because it is a better experience.

If you could marry the PS3's reliability and graphical superiority with XB Live and XBOX-style controllers, it would be the perfect system. (BTW, the Raven XB-style PS3 controllers are the bomb!)

I was fairly impressed with Resistance 3, as it managed to take a morbid setting from the first two games and make things even more hopeless. That's not to say the other games didn't capture the scope of the Chimera invasion, but there were at least military forces around that could conceivably hatch plans to assault the enemy. Resistance 3 has very little comfort zone, as everything feels like a last stand. Despite not having that "gung-ho military" twinge that a lot of shooters have, the gameplay doesn't suffer at all. I was happy to see that there is no longer regenerating health, which makes sense given the story, because it meant you had to be smarter with your impressive arsenal. The weapons work great and all have a distinctive talent that makes them handy for a variety of situations, although at certain sections the game tends to push you towards using certain types of weapons over others (for example, one location throws a ton of shotgun and pistol rounds at you and little else for its duration). Leveling up the weapons is also a blast, but I did find it kind of cheap that dying and restarting at a checkpoint retained all progress towards your weapons' next level, meaning you could theoretically die over and over again to level each gun in one enemy-heavy spot. Granted, this would take A LOT of dying, but the exploit is there.

The game does tend to put a nice cushion out for you if you have trouble. In one particular area, after dying a couple times, I noticed my health had been filled higher than it had been when I reached the checkpoint. This is understandable, but also takes away some of the difficulty. Resistance 3 is probably the easiest game in the series once you figure everything out, and the game does everything in its power to get you to the level it expects you to play at as early in the game as possible.

The storyline is pretty straightforward, as the review points out. It's not the deepest story in the world, and I felt they could've done a little more in between segments. There was a scene that occurred after a boss fight that made me wonder if I had hit some button to skip some cutscene before it, because I figured there would be some build up to it. It's functional, it works, but if you like a strong, developed tale, you'll probably be left wishing there was more to it. Audio diaries and journals help, but there's not enough there to broaden it to, say, Bioshock levels of narrative.

But hey, not every game needs to have an award winning script to be worth the time. Resistance 3's gameplay is really quite fantastically addictive, and probably one of the freshest FPS experiences you'll get this year. As that likely suggests, I don't expect Battlefield 3 or CoD Modern Warfare 3 to be anything we haven't seen from the two companies for the past five years.

Alright all you PS3 fan boys listen ups because this is a hard truth you have to swallow, you are the exact same thing as Xbox fanboys.... "OMG but how!!??!?!?!" I know we will get to that, i know morgan probably voiced her opinion over PS3 a lot in this review but in their she still reviewed the game, give her credit for that, secondly while you guys are defending your favorite system Xbox fanboys do the exact same thing, do you want to know why, because this generation of consoles is more competitive than ever before... I personally like the Xbox better because all of my friends play that and no one i know has a PS3 so, what would be the point if im playing to play with friends and when im bored. So know that while your defending your purchase which was probably like 500$ if you got the PS3 like two years ago, it is alot of money to invest into something and that is usually why people defend their version (except Wii) so stop complaining over her review and buy the game if you want it.... otherwise their is no need to flamewar and diss on the xbox and how G4 likes it better, obviously that means the people in the offices like it better than PS3, its not rocket science........

Can you believe that i went to gamestop to get Resistance 3 and was probably only one in my whole town to get it and hundred of people were waiting for Dead Island, well i decided to rent it to see wat all the fuss was about guess wat the game is pretty bad horror/RPG WTF, all of u who bought Resistance 3 r true gamers and dont go by wat everyone doing.

Can you believe that i went to gamestop to get Resistance 3 and was probably only one in my whole town to get it and hundred of people were waiting for Dead Island, well i decided to rent it to see wat all the fuss was about guess wat the game is pretty bad horror/RPG WTF, all of u who bought Resistance 3 r true gamers and dont go by wat everyone doing.

Can you believe that i went to gamestop to get Resistance 3 and was probably only one in my whole town to get it and hundred of people were waiting for Dead Island, well i decided to rent it to see wat all the fuss was about guess wat the game is pretty bad horror/RPG WTF, all of u who bought Resistance 3 r true gamers and dont go by wat everyone doing.

Can you believe that i went to gamestop to get Resistance 3 and was probably only one in my whole town to get it and hundred of people were waiting for Dead Island, well i decided to rent it to see wat all the fuss was about guess wat the game is pretty bad horror/RPG WTF, all of u who bought Resistance 3 r true gamers and dont go by wat everyone doing.

I didn't care too much for Resistance 1 or 2, but this one is very good. I think some people like realism in thier games, but I play games to leave reality and responsibility. I mean, I do not want to make choices as to which gun to pick up, but want them all. And in this game you get them all. Yea...

Resistance 3, both in MP and Campaign, are thoroughly enjoyable. R3 is leaps and bounds above a mediocre R2 iteration.

While i am a fan of Morgan Webb, i am very disappointed by her short sighted comments.

i have played MP on both PS3 and XBOX360. Honestly, i prefer the company of the PS3 players. Both systems have their glitches, but PS Network is just as serviceable as XBOX Live If Ms Morgan finds PS3 online "confusing", then she may not be as intelligent as i thought. Heck, i found XBOX Live confusing. Why? Because i am use to PS Network. Most ppl will find a product confusing if it conflicts with what they find routine in a preferred product.

This is yet another example of G4's elitist preference for XBOX.

For me, R3 has redeemed itself for a lackluster R2.

Ms Morgan, i have spotted playing BLOPS since R3. at least one CoD fan has been lost to the franchise for the time being.

i have both consoles, at first i liked my 360 more but after a while the ps3 just won me over. i dont see how people could honestly say xbox live is so much better than playstation network, playing halo and gears online will glitch out just as much as playing killzone or uncharted online...which is not that much. i think both online services are fun and both aren't perfect! now about 3D gaming, call me crazy but i like playing games in 3D especially when ur uh...well lets jus say especially between 4:20 and 5:00pm. and the move is fun, i still prefer a normal controller over any motion control.

Slightly confused..based on what the reviewer said i expected them to give it a 4 out of 5. Not that I mind though. Haven't played it but if from what i've seen of it , if I had a PS3 it'd probably be on one of my must buys

Resistance 3 is the best of the series with an amazing story line that everyone should at least rent or buy. The 3D was alright, I noticed a few "ghost images". The Sharpshooter/move sucked hardcore. I spent over an hour trying to calibrate and it still sucked. I played the sharpshooter for Killzone 3 and it was better, but still not worth the price tag.

is their a coop like in Resistance 2? or is it simply just the campaign coop? if so that sucks. i spent SOOO many hours playing coop in R2, lvling up my guys and getting better. i have the game, but have no internet until tomorrow so ill have to check then. if its just campaign only, i hope i can join anyones game (who is willing) and play. but it doesnt sound like this will havethe lasting appeal that R2 had for me. maybe ill try some competative...